Understanding glycine conformation through molecular orbitals.

The four most stable C(s) conformers of glycine have been investigated using a variety of quantum-mechanical methods based on Hartree-Fock theory, density-functional theory (B3LYP and statistical average of orbital potential), and electron propagation (OVGF) treatments. Information obtained from these models were analyzed in coordinate and momentum spaces using dual space analysis to provide insight based on orbitals into the bonding mechanisms of glycine conformers, which are generated by rotation of C-O(H) (II), C-C (III), and C-N (IV) bonds from the global minimum structure (I). Wave functions generated from the B3LYP/TZVP model revealed that each rotation produced a unique set of fingerprint orbitals that correspond to a specific group of outer valence orbitals, generally of a' symmetry. Orbitals 14a', 13a', 12a', and 11a' are identified as the fingerprint orbitals for the C-O(H) (II) rotation, whereas fingerprint orbitals for the C-C (III) bond rotation are located as 16a' [highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)], 15a' [next highest molecular occupied molecular orbital (NHOMO)], 14a', and 12a' orbitals. Fingerprint orbitals for IV generated by the combined rotations around the C-C, C-O(H), and C-N bonds are found as 16a', 15a', 14a', 13a', and 11a', as well as in orbitals 2a" and 1a". Orbital 14a' is identified as the fingerprint orbital for all three conformational processes, as it is the only orbital in the outer valence region which is significantly affected by the conformational processes regardless rotation of which bond. Binding energies, molecular geometries, and other molecular properties such as dipole moments calculated based on the specified treatments agree well with available experimental measurements and with previous theoretical calculation.